Scaling and root planing for the removal of calculus and contaminated root cementum are essential procedures in the treatment of periodontal diseases. For this purpose, dental curets are used for orthogonal cutting of the root surfaces, a method that removes thin chips of contaminated cementum.
This root planing procedure dulls the cutting edge of the curets which, for proper cutting action, have to be sharpened at frequent intervals. Up to now such sharpening has been done as a free-hand procedure, with or without guide plates, resulting in edges of inferior sharpness and incorrect edge angles with serious aberrations from the ideal shape of the cutting blade.
A variety of dental curets of different shapes are available on the market, but there isn't one single set of curets that in a systematic and logical way guides the operator in the selection of instruments needed for optimal efficiency in the different areas of the oral cavity.